The history of the first locomotives in America. From original ...

RECAPITULATION. 311
entitled a " History and Description of the Baltimore
and Ohio Raiboad," presented to us loj B. H. Latrolae,
Esq., of that road, thus
:
* " In pursuance of this call upon American genius, made by the
directors, three locomotives were produced upon the road, only
one of which, however, was made to answer any good purpose.
This engine, called ' The Tork,' was built at York, Pennsylvania,
by Phineas Davis (or rather Davis and Gartner), and, after
undergoing certain modifications, was found capable of conveying
fifteen tons at fifteen mUes per hour on a level portion of the
road. It was employed on that part of the road between Baltimore
and Ellicott's Mills, and generally performed the trip to
the Mills in one hour, with four cars, being a gross weight of
about fourteen tons. This engine was mounted on wheels, like
those of the common cars, of thirty inches diameter, and the
velocity was obtained by means of gearing with a spur-wheel and
pinion on one of the axles of the road-wheels.
" The curvatures were all travelled with great facility by this
engine, its greatest velocity, for a short time, on straight parts of
the road, having been at the rate of thirty miles per bour, while it
frequently attained that of twenty miles, and often travelled in
curvatures of four hundred feet radius, at the rate of fifteen miles
per hour. The fuel used was anthracite coal, and answered well
but the engine, weighing but three and a half tons, was found too
light for advantageous use in ascending grades. The perfoi"mance
of this engine fully confirmed the board and its engineer corps
that locomotives might be successfully used on a railway having
curves of four hundred feet radius, and from that time forward
every encouragement was given by the company to the inventive
genius of the country to improve on the partially successful experimental
engine that had been produced by Mr. Davis.
"In September, 1835, Mr. Davis met with a sudden and un-
expected death. He was riding upon the tender of a new locomo-
tive, on its trial-trip upon the Washington branch, accompaiiied
by a large number of his employes on an excursion to the capital.
The engine struck the end of a broken rail and was thrown off the
track. Mr, Davis was hurled with great force against the engine,
causing Ms instantaneous death. This melancholy event produced
a deep gloom over the, excursionists and the whole community,
where Mr. Davis was known. In his death the Baltimore and
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